Love, Graham | Non-Profit Spreads Love For The ‘City Designed For Living’

Co|Operative received funding for the place-making project in November 2017 and the logo launched on the lovegraham.org website on February 14, 2018 – Valentine's Day. How appropriate!

Author:
Laura Brache @laura_brache, WFMY News 2 Digital

Published:
2:34 PM EST March 9, 2018

Updated:
6:40 PM EST March 9, 2018

GRAHAM, N.C. – A lot of people ‘Love Graham,’ so Co|Operative, a local non-profit organization, decided to spread the love for the ‘city designed for living’ with a logo created just for the community.

The logo is entirely free and not copyrighted, meaning anyone in the community is able to use it to show their love for Graham, N.C.

Co|Operative, opened in January 2016, call themselves an entrepreneurial, purpose-driven organization. They work hand-in-hand with local government to revitalize the community and its local businesses, and also bring in new ones.

The ‘Love, Graham’ or ‘Love Graham’ logo is the result of a project pitch for their Community Innovation Fund.

Blaine Williamson, Communications Coordinator for Co|Operative, is one of the creative minds behind it.

“We wanted to kind of work on an initiative that combined everyone and everybody in the community regardless of if they owned a business, or lived here or worked somewhere else, or were just in Graham at any capacity,” Williamson said.

The Elon junior said a long-time Graham resident, Roger Jefferson came up with the idea and placemaking as an initiative in Graham.

She used her skills and knowledge in multimedia to make the idea into a reality.

Through Co|Operative and Impact Alamance’s Community Innovation Fund, the non-profit started a proposal with everything it would take to make it all happen.

They received the funding in November 2017 and the logo launched on the lovegraham.org website on February 14, 2018 – Valentine’s Day. How appropriate!

According to Williamson, the logo was designed by a Charlotte graphic designer, Jacob Boyles.

The grant allowed the flexibility to not need to make a profit off the logo's usage.

“There’s really no better way to engage the community than telling them this is theirs!” Williamson said.

On the website, the organization suggests using the logo in any creative way possible: as a tattoo, as a template for decals, on websites, in merchandise, and more.